Hate to break the mood, but that's also at least the 3rd time Miura's employed the, "what you want may not be what she wants" line. So, what does Guts want? Because Casca's going to want the opposite of that.

Hate to break the mood, but that's also at least the 3rd time Miura's employed the, "what you want may not be what she wants" line. So, what does Guts want? Because Casca's going to want the opposite of that.

Maybe she wants to stop all this fighting and live in the big-ass castle Griffith created

Ho ho ho, except the other residents would all want to eat her, Griffith raped her and killed her friends, corrupted and stole her child, and even before that she was last into him about 30 volumes ago. I think Rickert answered that question for all the old Falcons and he only learned about it secondhand.

No, my first guess would be not wanting to resume a close relationship with Guts, or not feeling close to or trusting him at first, but we'll see the toll all this has taken on them (and how canon the DC game really is =). Once that's settled, who knows, she might be the one that wants to go to war.

Random thought, but not enough attention is paid to Femto essentially being the third parent to that child. Griffith's like his own father. <(Ayyyy'm my ohhn granpaaaa!)

Hate to break the mood, but that's also at least the 3rd time Miura's employed the, "what you want may not be what she wants" line.

What I find interesting is that each time we see it, it's Guts pondering those words. I think the gravity with which he took that warning (and the fact he recognized its wisdom) shows how mature and thoughtful he's become. And it further solidifies (or serves as a strong reminder of) the utmost importance of Casca to him, someone for whom he "abandoned all of his ways". That heightens the impact of her return and will put a lot of relative "power" in her lap when she does.

Random thought, but not enough attention is paid to Femto essentially being the third parent to that child. Griffith's like his own father.

Well that's because it's not true. I mean, Femto's credit is turning the boy into a monster while he was in the womb (already conceived by Guts & Casca)... that's not what a parent does. It's like saying Daiba was the Daka's "father" because he was the mad scientist responsible for their creation. If you mean it as a figure of speech, sure, but I think it just sows confusion.

I also think this is all moot now since Femto invaded and overtook the boy's body. From Guts & Casca's perspective he first defiled their unborn son and then somehow upped the ante by completely taking over his body. You can make the argument that it gives the kid some superpowers when he gets out once in a blue moon (reference intended), but that doesn't really make up for it. I completely agree that at this point Femto is an undeniable contributor to what the boy is/has become, but I find the label of "parent" to be misleading.

What I find interesting is that each time we see it, it's Guts pondering those words. I think the gravity with which he took that warning (and the fact he recognized its wisdom) shows how mature and thoughtful he's become. And it further solidifies (or serves as a strong reminder of) the utmost importance of Casca to him, someone for whom he "abandoned all of his ways". That heightens the impact of her return and will put a lot of relative "power" in her lap when she does.

Definitely, and it shows how much he truly cares, and I also get a sense of insecurity and defensiveness from it, like a spouse fearing their partner is drifting away, so I hope he doesn't become the problem when she returns by pressing, as Guts has been known to do from time to time. We'll see just how mature he's become.

Well that's because it's not true. I mean, Femto's credit is turning the boy into a monster while he was in the womb (already conceived by Guts & Casca)... that's not what a parent does. It's like saying Daiba was the Daka's "father" because he was the mad scientist responsible for their creation. If you mean it as a figure of speech, sure, but I think it just sows confusion.

I also think this is all moot now since Femto invaded and overtook the boy's body. From Guts & Casca's perspective he first defiled their unborn son and then somehow upped the ante by completely taking over his body. You can make the argument that it gives the kid some superpowers when he gets out once in a blue moon (reference intended), but that doesn't really make up for it. I completely agree that at this point Femto is an undeniable contributor to what the boy is/has become, but I find the label of "parent" to be misleading.

Yeah, it was misleading figure of speech that doesn't jibe with the story as presented. It is fascinating how it all dovetailed into his incarnation.

Definitely, and it shows how much he truly cares, and I also get a sense of insecurity and defensiveness from it, like a spouse fearing their partner is drifting away, so I hope he doesn't become the problem when she returns by pressing, as Guts has been known to do from time to time. We'll see just how mature he's become.

Oh yeah, he's definitely not feeling confident at all here. I've also thought about the fact he may be too eager/forceful, but I think his past experiences with such attitude would be beneficial. In fact I think he might even be kind of reserved because of it (and then he'll cry).

Wow, this chapter made me somehow happy. I really liked the moment when Roderick and Serpico joined Guts and supported him. It is good to see that Guts is at least now not alone and has friends he can rely on and is ready to protect them at any costs. Also Serpico's thoughts regarding Farnese and Casca... maybe Farnese will be able to become stronger in the next time for Casca's sake? That Bonfire of Dreams moment made my expectations go higher. So there is hope for Casca after all. Seems like Schierke and Farnese have to collect all those memories for the doll to be repaired. But on the other hand I doubt everything will go well. Moreover I wonder if they are even capable to fight in her mind and how it will affect her body. Will there be memories of Griffith too? It's really a shame that we have monthly releases.

Berserk's individual issues are called "episodes", not "chapters". Episodes are then grouped into chapters and those chapters form narrative arcs. For example, the Millennium Falcon arc had two chapters: The Holy Evil War Chronicle and Falconia. Each of these contained dozens of episodes.

I enjoyed this episode quite a bit. The part with Roderick, Serpico and Guts having a few drinks while opening up to each other was very nice, along with the dog attaching another fragment to the doll. Can't wait for 350.

On the podcast I commented about the difference in fidelity between how we were initially presented with Casca's dream world (dog Guts, bat-like specters), and how perfectly rendered the Bonfire memory was. But there's actually a logic to that difference beyond merely presentation. The dog and the specters are manifestations of the fragmented (insane) Casca, so they aren't rooted in reality as much as the bonfire memory, which was a fragment of the sane Casca.

It made me wonder about the gloomy, barren state of the dreamworld itself, and whether it's meant to represent something the insane Casca is perceiving, or something the remnant of Casca is projecting.

On the podcast I commented about the difference in fidelity between how we were initially presented with Casca's dream world (dog Guts, bat-like specters), and how perfectly rendered the Bonfire memory was. But there's actually a logic to that difference beyond merely presentation. The dog and the specters are manifestations of the fragmented (insane) Casca, so they aren't rooted in reality as much as the bonfire memory, which was a fragment of the sane Casca.

Yes, the fragments of her broken self are intact parts of her sane mind. Morsels that, put together, shaped her personality. They're not even really part of the dream itself, they're memories scattered/hidden across the dream.

It made me wonder about the gloomy, barren state of the dreamworld itself, and whether it's meant to represent something the insane Casca is perceiving, or something the remnant of Casca is projecting.

I think it's definitely a projection and not a distorted perception. We saw Casca's surface perception in episode 347. The desolate landscape that represents her inner self is something she's created herself. It's based on her interpretation of her life after the Eclipse (during a very specific time period), but like I said earlier in the thread I believe it also informs us about her state of mind, and about how two sides of her are opposing each other. The broken doll in the coffin is her mind, her ego. The sprite is its current functioning form, what's left of it (very little). It's what's at the helm of her body, what faces the world. The dog, which is styled after Guts, embodies her will to survive, to fight the trauma, to get better (and what better figure in her life to style it after). The environmental hazards (terrain, wind, monsters), on the other hand, represent the part of her that doesn't want the pieces to be put back together. The part that, maybe, couldn't bear to deal with the rape at that time (and still can't). That's what Schierker and Farnese are after.

Finally got my copy of this episode's Young Animal! Took a while but it's the first official young animal that I got! Waiting for the one with ep350 in it and my budget might allow me to buy the june one. Yeah!